Rays prospects square off in Futures Game

O'Conner singles off Romero, but lefty turns in a scoreless inning

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was Ray vs. Ray in the seventh inning of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which the U.S. team won, 3-2.

Perhaps someday soon, left-hander Enny Romero and catcher Justin O'Conner will be batterymates at Tropicana Field, just as they've been teammates at Class A Bowling Green in the past. In the meantime, the Rays prospects were opponents at Target Field on Sunday afternoon, when O'Conner stepped to the plate for the U.S. with none on and one out.

O'Conner got the better end of this matchup, ripping a single to left field, but Romero got the next two batters to ground out to get out of the inning unscathed.

So consider this small segment of the prospect showcase to be a win for the Rays' organization, all around.

Romero tweeted about his gratefulness for the opportunity to represent the Dominican Republic on this platform:

"I've been here three times," Romero said, "but it felt good seeing my name on the roster for the World Team again."

Now, Romero will head back to Triple-A Durham, where he's currently 3-10 with a 5.62 ERA in 17 starts. He's struck out 78 and walked 38 in 83 1/3 innings.

"My progress has been good, because I've improved my control a lot," he said. "I feel good about my progress because last year I started in Double-A and finished in Triple-A, and I also debuted in the big leagues. So my work has been seen and Tampa Bay is working with me."

O'Conner is headed back to Class A Advanced Charlotte, in the Florida State League. He has played 66 games this season, batting .260 with a .297 on-base percentage and .442 slugging percentage. With his strong arm behind the plate, he's thrown out 58 percent of opposing baserunners and also notched 10 pickoffs.